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| “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel Dujardin, c.1662 |
(Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the
Church)
Reading 1: Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16
Abram's wife Sarai had borne
him no children.
She had, however, an Egyptian
maidservant named Hagar.
Sarai said to Abram:
"The LORD has kept me
from bearing children.
Have intercourse, then, with
my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons
through her."
Abram heeded Sarai's request.
Thus, after Abram had lived
ten years in the land
of Canaan
his wife Sarai took her maid,
Hagar the Egyptian,
and gave her to her husband
Abram to be his concubine.
He had intercourse with her,
and she became pregnant.
When she became aware of her
pregnancy,
she looked on her mistress
with disdain.
So Sarai said to Abram:
"You are responsible for
this outrage against me.
I myself gave my maid to your
embrace;
but ever since she became
aware of her pregnancy,
she has been looking on me
with disdain.
May the LORD decide between
you and me!"
Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you
please."
Sarai then abused her so much
that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found
her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to
Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai,
where have you come from
and where are you
going?"
She answered, "I am
running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told
her:
"Go back to your
mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants
so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too
many to count.
Besides," the LORD's
messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant
and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass
of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against
him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom
Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years
old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
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Commentary on Gn
16:1-12, 15-16
The story of
Abram continues today and in it we find God’s promise of offspring for Abram
kept but in a surprising way. Not
through his wife did God give Abram his fist son, but through Hagar, Sarai’s
maid servant. Here ironically is the
beginning of Islam as well. Out of Ishmael comes the Prophet Mohamed and the
prophetic statement by the Lord’s messenger “his
hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him;” seems to be coming to pass in our
generation.
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Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you
please."
Sarai then abused her so much
that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found
her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to
Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai,
where have you come from
and where are you
going?"
She answered, "I am
running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told
her:
"Go back to your
mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants
so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too
many to count.
Besides," the LORD's
messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant
and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass
of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against
him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom
Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years
old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
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Commentary on Gn
16:6b-12, 15-16
In the alternate
short form of this reading the decision by Sarai, Abram’s wife to give her
maid, Hagar, as concubine to her husband is omitted, as is the combative
reaction of the two women toward each other once Hagar becomes pregnant. The reading instead focuses on God’s
consolation of Hagar and the prediction of Ishmael’s birth as the first born of
Abraham.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for
he is good,
for his mercy endures
forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds
of the LORD,
or proclaim all his praises?
R. Give thanks to the
Lord, for he is good.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed are they who observe
what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you
favor your people.
R. Give thanks to the
Lord, for he is good.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Visit me with your saving
help,
that I may see the prosperity
of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your
people,
and glory with your
inheritance.
R. Give thanks to the
Lord, for he is good.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps
106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
Psalm 106 is a
song of thanksgiving. In this selection the singer thanks God for his saving
mercy and favor to his chosen people. This hymn of praise rejoices over God’s
gracious help to those who trust in him. We see clearly the hand of God guiding
the faithful as the psalmist proclaims “That
I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of your
people, and glory with your inheritance.”
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Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says
to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of
heaven,
but only the one who does the
will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that
day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons
in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in
your name?'
Then I will declare to them
solemnly,
'I never knew you. Depart
from me, you evildoers.'
"Everyone who listens to
these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods
came,
and the winds blew and
buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it
had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to
these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built
his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods
came,
and the winds blew and
buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was
completely ruined."
When Jesus finished these
words,
the crowds were astonished at
his teaching,
for he taught them as one
having authority,
and not as their scribes.
Commentary on Mt 7:21-29
This is the final
section of the first of five great discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of
Matthew. In it he broadens his attack on
false prophets to include those who perform acts in his name but lead lives of
sin. He uses the analogy of the house
built upon sand and the house built upon rock to indicate that those how have a
deep faith and act out of that faith have a strong foundation and can stand
against adversity; while those who give the faith lip service and for others to
see but do not have that deep faith will fall.
He will not even recognize them when they come before him in final
judgment. The Lord also makes a
distinction between saying and doing. The metaphor of the “house built upon
rock” refers to those who hear the word of the Lord from an authentic source
and act upon it. The house built on sand is a metaphor for those who either are
not taught authentically (by false prophets) or who do not act upon what they
have been given.
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Homily:
How many times have we prayed
“Lord, what is your will? What would you
have me do?” We are reminded of a story
that helps us approach these prayers:
There was once a master
potter whose pottery was the marvel of all who saw his work. His art was highly praised, especially
because of the religious themes portrayed on the pottery he made. As he grew older he took on an
apprentice. An apt pupil, the youngster
learned quickly and studied the master’s every technique. He practiced tirelessly under his master’s
watchful eye and a great bond grew between them. The master also shared with his student his
great love of God and knowledge of the sacred texts that allowed him to produce
the wonderful images of God’s encounters with mankind.
After years of study and
practice the master told his student that he had learned enough to go and start
his own studio. But the pupil had such
love for the old master that he could not bear the thought of leaving him. A few years later the old master became blind
and could no longer practice his craft.
His young student, however, told no one.
Rather he continued to produce this wonderful pottery that was so much
like his master’s work that no one could tell the difference.
Each night the student and
master would eat together and the master would recount the great stories from
the bible and his student’s heart would burn as he listened to the old man’s
love for God. Each day, inspired by that
love he would create wonderful pieces of art glorifying those words. Patrons remarked that the master’s work was
improving and was even more spectacular than the work he had done earlier in
his career. The student said nothing to
correct them.
After a few more years, the
old master died and the truth about his blindness came to light. Many patrons asked the student why he had not
taken credit for the great pieces of art he had produced and established his
own name as artisan. The student humbly
laid all he had learned at his master’s feet saying he was merely the hands and
eyes of his master.
This little story emphasizes
the point being made in St. Matthew’s Gospel.
The Lord calls upon us to hear the words of His Father, Our Father and
act upon them. The only way we can do
this is to truly understand what God wants of us. Like the student in the story above, we must
get to know our Lord intimately through scripture, prayer, and the sacraments
that give us grace in order to reproduce the love and compassion he calls us to
have for others. Only when we work to
understand the will of God and how others have followed His commands can we
hope to act under his will. Only then can
we see the path to the Kingdom
of Heaven
Pax
[2]
The picture used is “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel Dujardin,
c.1662
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
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